Sword play has long been a favorite of children, particularly boys. Mimicing the actual sword fighting of knights, such toys allow children to practice the thrusts and parties of actual duels, while having safe fun pretending. Such toys can be based on conventional swords having a hilt or handle from which a long blade extends. With such toys, they are typically manufactured from plastic or other dull and flexible materials to allow for the play to be both fun and safe.
Certain recent movies have also generated interest in not just conventional swords but light sabers as well. For example, the Star Wars® movies have generated extreme interest in this regard. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand, such swords are not conventional but rather have a handle or hilt from which a laser beam supposedly extends. Toys which have attempted to mimic this form of light saber have of course not used actual lasers but rather mechanical structures which mimic such a blade. One example is Scolari, U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,450. With such a sword, a fixed blade extends from a handle in which is provided a battery and a strobe lamp. Activation of the strobe lamp causes the blade, which is translucent, to light
While such a toy mimics the “light” component of such sabers, it remains a fixed length blade. Fans of such movies understand, however, that when light sabers are de-activated the light forming the blade completely dissipates. Other toys have accordingly been created that attempt to retract the blade into the hilt. One example of this type of toy is Kuo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,446. With such a toy, the blade is provided in the form of at least two telescoping tubes with springs provided therein. The springs bias the telescoping tubes into an extended position. However, the blades are not fully retractable into the handle or hilt, but rather at least one of the tubes forming the blade is always extended therefrom. In addition, a relatively complex motor, pulley and cable arrangement is provided to retract the blades into the handle, and individual springs are provided in each tube of the blade.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a toy light saber which more accurately replicates that depicted in the movies, while improving the ease with which the saber can be moved between extended and retracted positions as well.